Execution

"The Four Disciplines of Execution" by Stephen Covey and Chris McChesney is awesome. Sometimes it takes a new vernacular to make ideas spectacular and in this book that's true. The idea that every job has a "Whirlwind" of the thousand things that have to be done just to stay in business. The million and one details that must be addressed to do the job you do. Everything you are expected to handle each and every day just to keep the doors open, to keep you job, to not loose the customer, to not fail. You may be saying to yourself at this very minute, "Why am I reading this when I have so much work to do?" Being stuck in the Whirlwind is not a fun place to be. It is so hard to get anything done when you are frantic trying to get everything done. If you feel this way get some help. Figure it out. If you can't get it all done or at least get it all managed, maybe you are in the wrong business, maybe. But first, get some help. Get the natts out of your eyes, swat the flies, clean the slate and know there will always be a Whirlwind. Now set some goals that will really make a difference.

"WIGs" are wildly important goals that if executed properly will really move the needle. Set one, two or three at the most and set them outside the Whirlwind. I like to think of them as my Big WIGs. Plan a step-by-step approach to achieving these goals, devise a creative scoreboard to track the progress towards those goals (with end-zone and time clock) and most importantly start a regular and public process for holding yourself accountable for the results. We used an "Execution Teleconference" when I was a part of the www.bestsalesteamever.blogspot.com on a bi-weekly basis.

Another important idea was lag measures verses lead measure. You must discover or devise lead measures (actions and results that can be easily measured in real time) that will drive the lag measures that we are ultimately judged on like quota attainment or profitability.

Since reading and listening to this book I have executed an MBA, read dozens of business books and launched several blogs and now will use these disciplines to start a new career. These disciplines have also been very helpful in leading my family and understanding the lag measures of daily happiness and fulfillment to achieve the ultimate lead measure and Big WIG of a happy family!